Howard Birdsall of Brielle, the former Chief Executive Officer and chief shareholder of the defunct engineering firm that bore his name, is sentenced to four years in state prison in connection with the scheme that funneled corporate political contributions and circumvented New Jersey's pay-to-play laws.

Howard Birdsall (NJ Attorney General's Office)
Howard Birdsall (NJ Attorney General's Office)
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Birdsall, 72, was read his sentence in an Ocean County courtroom in Toms River today, according to the office of acting New Jersey Attorney General Robert Lougy. He pleaded guilty to a second-degree misconduct charge on February 18 of this year.

When he entered his plea, Birdsall paid $49,908 to the state, representing forfeiture of his contributions on behalf of Eatontown-based Birdsall Services Group which he recouped from the company.

The four-year term is the maximum that Birdsall faced in exchange for his plea. State Division of Criminal Justice Director Elie Honig, in prepared remarks, said that it should be fair warning to anyone sidestepping financial laws.

"New Jersey's pay-to-play law is designed to ensure that public contracts are awarded through a transparent process, rather than being doled out to the biggest political contributors," Honig said.

Investigators said that over a six-year span, employees and executives of Birdsall Services Group wrote checks in amounts below the $300 reporting-limit threshold, which were bundled and submitted to political campaigns and organizations, allowing the company to avoid disqualification for public contracts.

Contributors were reimbursed through bonuses which were left off documents filed with the Election Law Enforcement Commission, investigators said.

Former Birdsall Executive Vice President Thomas Rospos of Belmar is scheduled for sentencing May 23 for his guilty plea to a third-degree charge of tampering with public records or information. Prosecutors seek a three-year term and forfeiture of $150,000.

Scott MacFadden of Brick, the company's ex-Chief Administrative Officer, pleaded guilty to a third-degree misconduct charge in January and has a June 3 sentencing date. The state is recommending 364 days in a county jail and forfeiture of $30,000.

Former marketing employees Philip Angarone of Hamilton, and Eileen Kufahl of Bradley Beach, also await sentencing for guilty pleas.

Defendants charged in the indictment with first-degree counts of conspiracy, money laundering and other charges face sentences of 10 to 20 years and fines as high as $1,000,000, if convicted.

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